Branson's Jim Stafford Theater guitar neck marquee to be saved from demolition

A former Jim Stafford Theater intern and the Branson mayor's official "ambassador to live music shows" teamed up on a fan effort to save one of the Highway 76 Strip's most iconic features: The Jim Stafford Theater's guitar neck neon marquee sign.

On Tuesday beginning at 7:30 a.m., the sign will be removed from the theater on the 3400 block of the Highway 76 Strip, where it's been located for decades.

Matt Bailey, a broadcaster-producer, is the former intern for famed singer-songwriter and comedian Jim Stafford. Stafford was one of the first high-wattage celebrities to set up shop in Branson when the tourism hub first became nationally prominent in the early '90s.

Bailey likes to call the Jim Stafford marquee "the crown jewel of Branson."

"This is the marquee," Bailey told the News-Leader on Monday. "This is the symbol of Branson, for many. It's certainly the symbol of the Strip."

The sign was constructed around 1991, according to News-Leader archives, shortly after Stafford bought his first Branson theater. He wanted the front of the building to look like a 1950s movie theater.

The marquee has already been moved once, to a larger theater next door to Stafford's original one, around 1992 when Stafford's Branson career was on the upswing. "So we know that it can be moved as a unit," Bailey said. "The goal tomorrow is to get the whole thing down as a unit." It may take about three hours to do so, Bailey said.

'Future of our state': Gov. Mike Parson celebrates Jordan Valley clinic coming to west-central Springfield

Bailey said that with the help of Marshall Howden, Branson Mayor Larry Milton's official ambassador to the town's show community, they were able to work with a crane company and a company that has experience moving neon signage.

Howden also secured a barn where the Stafford marquee can be stored temporarily, Bailey said, and they hope to sign contracts with a third Branson-area company that would be able to display the marquee at a new location on the Strip. He declined to be more specific about plans or the cost of purchasing and moving the marquee, saying, "I was grateful that it was within our budget." (A pre-demolition auction for the theater building and two other nearby buildings was held Oct. 25, as the Branson Tri-Lakes News reported earlier.)

"The iconic marquee is not going anywhere," Bailey said.

More: Ozarks Technical Community College seeks funds to start aircraft repair program

Reach News-Leader reporter Gregory Holman by emailing [email protected]. Please consider subscribing to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Jim Stafford Theater's guitar neck sign in Branson won't be demolished